Chili House SF

"Take a break from egg nog and rich holiday sweets with fiery chicken with explosive chili peppers or poached fish with flaming chili oil. Chili house is open on Christmas Eve, offering its tableside Peking duck service (which requires a reservation 24 hours in advance). Over in Chinatown, sister restaurant Z & Y will also be open." - Ellen Fort

"Chef Eric Huang of Pecking House will bring his Sichuan chile-laced fried chicken to San Francisco again on Sunday, February 11 for a one-day-only Super Bowl pop-up at Lord Stanley. Additionally, there will be a longer pop-up at the Flamingo Resort in Santa Rosa as part of Turntable’s touring pop-up residencies from February 16 through February 29." - Dianne de Guzman

"The smell of peppercorns will draw you into Chili House. The small-ish Szechuan restaurant in the Richmond doesn’t hold back on the spice. Fish filets bathe in a bowl of firetruck-red oil and the mapo tofu leaves a lingering tingle on your lips. Working your way through the menu could take years, and a spreadsheet or two, but know that focusing on seafood like prawns—or any dish involving the words “chili” and “oil”—are the guaranteed paths to success. The space is always packed with huge groups, from families and quadruple dates to friends finishing an entire Peking duck in record time." - Julia Chen

"Two extremely delightful restaurants hit the Outer Richmond this year, adding to an already excellent general dining vicinity and turning eyes towards a very residential, foggy neighborhood. The Inner and Outer Richmonds now have Violet’s and Pearl 6101 in addition to Fiorella, PPQ Dungeness Island, Chili House, and all the gems on Clement Street." - Ellen Fort

"Chili House is operated by Z & Y's chef/owner, Han Lijun, who came to San Francisco as the executive chef for the Consulate General of China in San Francisco. Opened in 1988, it is another venture by the chef who considers himself an emissary for Chinese cuisine and culture." - Caleb Pershan